And we're back...
Hey kids! Didja miss me? Well, I missed you too. Things have been normal (read: hectic), life is going... well, like life, I suppose. Tate is getting bigger by the day but not quite as rapidly as my horse... er, I mean, dog. Tinkerbell just turned 4 months old, and she has officially hit the 50 lb mark.
I just think that's so awesome. hehehe I love big dogs.
At any rate. My biggest struggle right now is drama on the worship team. First, a little context:
We (the church) 've just gotten a new facility. It's great, love it. We're going to be able to start having a mid-week service. To start, we'll do it twice a month. I was asked to head up a new worship team, in an experimental sort of way. Experimental in that we're going to build it completely differently than we did the Sunday team. We're going to try new things, a new formula if you will... Starting with a solid foundation, core principles and vision, structure, etc. These are things we lacked in building the Sunday team. A lot of the struggles we've faced with the Sunday team have been no one's fault in particular, persay. The enemy has just always gone into overdrive on us in that area of ministry. It's been a real struggle, and continues to be. But it's all worth it if we glorify God.
So at any rate, that's the idea for the Wednesday night experiment, basically. Obviously the worship style will be somewhat different. The goal of the midweek service is to go deeper... in teaching, in worship, in connecting, etc etc. We are a "seeker" oriented church in many regards, and the midweek service is meant to take you from the "taste-test" or "appetizer" of Sunday morning, into the more banquet-like Wednesday night, as it pertains to connecting with God and others on a deeper, more fundamental level.
I believe that we (pastor, elder over music, and me) made a mistake in not being more open and up front during the "brainstorming" process, I think, with the rest of the people involved in the worship ministry of our church. An elementary game of telephone occurred and hurt some feelings... very deeply. There were many factors, and many people at fault---myself one of them. By the time it traveled 'round the circle, the vision for Wednesday was completely distorted and covered with vomit, to put it graphically.
So now we're trying to repair the damage, that we might heal the relationships and honor God. I don't know how it's going to turn out. I gave up trying to coerce it in this round. Whatever God does, He does. I doubted that I should continue on in the role I was asked to take for Wednesday nights, but apparently I'm still needed there... for the moment. I'm not holding on to any of it.
Though, for a moment there, I can't tell you how close I was to walking away from my church family. It was pretty scary. Especially since God has really had me focused a lot on the notion of "planting yourself in the house", as opposed to being potted in a ministry or place, or not rooted at all. I'll go into the details of that later, for those to whom that makes no sense.
So anyway... here I am. I'd love to hear what's happening with all of you. It'll take me some time to catch up on all your blogs. I've missed ya. :-)
Ok, I'm out for tonight. I've rambled on long enough. Do me a favor, though, would you? Please be in prayer for us. For all the hurt and struggle that has been exposed, there's even more that has yet to be. Others don't realize that, but I know it. We've got a long way to go, and we'll do what we have to to get there... Just pray for the strength, and focus to keep going... and for the courage it will take to let God have His way with us.
Thanks...
-Jack
